Chapter 186- Bound by Fire and Fear
Lexy
The battlefield was a blur of shadows and firelight, but my eyes saw only them.
CJ and Adrian.
Steel clashed in the center of the chaos, each strike echoing like a drumbeat through my chest. My warriors fought around them, holding the line, but my focus was tethered to the storm unfolding at the heart of it all. Every instinct in me screamed to step in, to fight alongside my mate, to tear Adrian apart with my own hands. Yet I held back, my fists clenched, my phoenix fire simmering beneath my skin.
This was CJ’s moment. His reckoning. And I—I had to let him face it.
But gods, it was tearing me apart.
Adrian moved like a serpent, all precision and shadow, his strikes sharp and deceptive. CJ answered with raw strength and relentless determination, every blow meant to shatter, not just parry. They were equal in power, but not in purpose. Adrian fought for ambition, for domination. CJ fought for us—for me, for our children, for every life Adrian had threatened.
The contrast was stark.
Tarria appeared at my side, her blade dripping crimson, her eyes locked on the duel. “Do we intervene, my queen?” she asked, breathless but steady.
I shook my head, though my throat ached with the denial. “Not yet. This is his fight. But hold the line—don’t let Adrian’s men reach them. They clash alone, or not at all.”
She gave a sharp nod, signaling others to shield the space around the duel. Our warriors pressed forward, tightening the circle, hemming Adrian in.
Kael, ever Adrian’s shadow, lingered just beyond the fray, his gaze darting toward me, calculating. I could feel his intent, the way his muscles coiled like a wolf ready to strike if I so much as breathed too close to Adrian. I wanted to burn him where he stood.
But my attention snapped back to CJ as Adrian unleashed a burst of shadow that cracked the earth beneath their feet. The shockwave knocked men sprawling nearby, but CJ dug in, steady as a mountain, refusing to yield. My heart clenched with pride—and terror.
“Stay with me,” I whispered, though he could not hear. “Please, CJ. Stay with me.”
The two circled, blades flashing. Sparks danced through the night, and every sound cut into me. When Adrian feinted left and scored a shallow cut across CJ’s arm, my fire surged, nearly spilling free. Tarria’s hand clamped on my shoulder, grounding me.
“Patience,” she murmured.
But patience was ash in my mouth. Every cut, every stumble CJ took was a knife in my own flesh. My phoenix thrashed within me, demanding release, begging to turn the night into an inferno that would consume Adrian once and for all. Only the knowledge that CJ needed this battle to be his kept me from unleashing it.
Adrian taunted him, voice carrying even over the clash of steel. “What will you do when she falls? When your precious queen lies broken at my feet?”
The venom in his words ignited my fury, but it also fueled CJ. He roared, pressing harder, his strikes heavier, faster. The bond between us pulsed like a living flame—I could feel his rage, his determination, his refusal to let Adrian’s words take root.
Still, Adrian was cunning. Every strike he took, he twisted into an opening, every stumble a trap. He was trying to wear CJ down, not break him outright.
The thought chilled me. Adrian had patience where I had none. He could fight for hours, feeding on desperation.
I could not let CJ be dragged into that.
I turned to Tarria. “If Kael moves, he’s yours. Don’t hesitate.”
Her smile was sharp and cold. “Gladly.”
The battle around us surged, our alliance warriors pressing Adrian’s forces hard. But I barely registered it. My eyes stayed locked on CJ.
Their blades collided again, locking, their faces inches apart. Adrian sneered, shadows coiling around him like smoke. CJ’s jaw clenched, his strength pushing back, steady as stone.
Then the shadows surged, curling toward him like snakes. CJ staggered, caught off guard, and Adrian’s blade slashed close—too close.
I gasped, fire ripping up my throat, spilling into my palms. Tarria grabbed my wrist. “Lexy! If you go now, you risk breaking his focus. Trust him!”
Trust. The word felt like a command and a prayer. I forced the fire down, though my whole body trembled with the effort. My mate was not weak. He was not alone. I was with him, even if I did not stand at his side at that moment.
CJ recovered, slamming his shoulder into Adrian and driving him back. The ground shook with the force of it. Adrian’s sneer faltered for just a heartbeat. My heart soared.
“That’s it,” I breathed, fists clenching. “Show him.”
Kael shifted at the edge of the circle, tense, ready. My warriors barred his path with raised blades, daring him to try. His eyes locked with mine, dark and unyielding. He wanted me to move, to falter, to break formation.
Not tonight.
Adrian and CJ struck again, sparks flying, their battle a storm within the storm. Each swing, each grunt, each drop of blood deepened the tension twisting in my chest. The entire battlefield seemed to pivot around them, as though the outcome of their duel would decide the fate of everyone present.
And perhaps it would.
The phoenix inside me screamed, begging to burn the world if it meant protecting him. But I held it, held myself, because CJ’s roar as he drove Adrian back was the proof I needed. He was strong enough. He was ready.
And I would be his flame when the moment came.
Until then, I stood in the shadows, queen and mate, fire bound by restraint, watching my king clash with the enemy who had haunted us all.
The world seemed to hold its breath. Their blades locked once more, the storm between them far from being spent.
And I knew—the true battle had only just begun.
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